Crate bottom for recessed gas and electric ovens



July 21,

1959 R. I E. SOLOMON 2,895,695

CRATE-BOTTOM FOR RECESSED GAS AND ELECTRIC OVENS Fi'l ed Jan. 26, 1956 l 7 mm 12 i h. 1 munmmmmmm l I .12 16 15 11 i0 15 IN VENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent CRATE BOTTOM FOR RECESSED GAS .AND ELECTRIC OVENS I Application January 26, 1956, Serial No. 561,620

3 Claims. (Cl. 248-119) This invention relates to a crate bottom for recessed gas and electric ovens.

As is generally known, gas and electric ovens in commen with various other forms of merchandise and appliances are provided with crates for their protection during transportation and handling thereof.

Crates as at present used for the protection of recessed gas and electric ovens each generally comprise three parts, a bottom, sides and a top.

The crate bottom is normally employed as a pallet on the assembly line and it must be of suflicient strength to insure safe transit during shipping. In most instances, the appliance is bolted through the lower surface of the crate bottom into corner gussets on the appliance base to secure the appliance in a proper position in the crate.

The sides of the crate are generally provided by a four-sided wrap-around box manufactured in a manner which permits wiring or nailing the open corners together. Wire bound crates are provided with loops at the open corners which are easily twisted to secure the four-sided Wrap-around.

The top of the crate is normally a structure similar to the bottom but of just suflicient strength to insure against damage to the appliance due to handling, top loading or other top forces.

A major problem confronting a manufacturer is the assurance that his product will be received by the purchaser in undamaged condition, and that the crate struc ture will permit ease of removal of the appliance for installation.

While the crate structure above described and as now in use has proven satisfactory so far as the wraparound sides and top are concerned, the bottom thereof has been found objectionable due to the bolting through the lower surface thereof into gussets on the appliance base, as above referred to.

When the crate bottom is secured to the appliance base by means of bolts extending through the bottom surface of the crate and into nuts located in gussets on the appliance base, as at present, the purchaser or installer is faced with a difficult problem both from the standpoint of time consumed in the removal of the base and also the great liability of damage to the appliance.

The reason for the above is that the appliance must be tilted substantially out of the vertical in order to gain access to the bolts for removal thereof and with heavy appliances such as recessed gas and electric ovens, such is a difficult, dangerous, and tiresome operation.

When the built-in-type of appliances, such as recessed gas and electric ovens, are being sold to the building trade in large quantities, the time consumed by the installer resulting from uncrating operations is of vital importance to sales.

The simpler and safer the method of removing the ap pliance from the crate bottom, the greater is the acceptance of the appliance to the builder and customer.

In most instances where manufacturers receive dam- "ice age claims they. find that same resulted from handling during uncrating and installation.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide a crate bottom whereby in the use of same the above noted objection to crate bottoms now in the, use will be substantially wholly overcome.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a bottom section for an appliance crate which is easy to apply, easy to remove and the appliance is not subject to damage during such application and removal.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. l is an isometric view of the improved crate bottom and showing the bottom portion of a recessed oven as about to be positioned on the crate bottom.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the crate bottom with the lower portion of the oven operatively engaged therewith.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the oven is generally designated 0 and which is provided with a lower front panel P projecting below the base B of the oven.

The improved crate bottom is designated in its entirety as 10 and same is of skeleton form and is preferably constructed of a plurality of wooden slats or members which are disposed as follows:

Three lowermost members 11 are disposed in parallel and uniformly spaced relation and which as indicated extend in a direction dep-thwise of the oven 0. Disposed upon and transversely of the members 11 at each of the corresponding opposite ends thereof is a member 12 which members are preferably flush with the opposite ends of members 11.

The members 11 and 12 are preferably relatively narrow and disposed between the members 12 in parallel relation thereto and also intersecting the members 11 are a pair of relatively wider members 13 which are disposed relatively close to the members 12.

Supported on the members 13 is what may be termed an oven base receiving trough and which is provided by a pair of spaced parallel and relatively wide members 14 which are disposed transversely of the members 13 and in inwardly spaced relation to the outermost members 11.

Disposed in contact with the outer edge of each member 14 is a relatively wide vertically disposed member 15 which members 15 engage opposite sides of the oven adjacent the base thereof.

The bottom is completed by a plywood slat 16 which rests on members 11 and fills the gap between members 12 and 13 at the end of the bottom adjacent the front of the oven for a purpose later referred to.

The upright members 15 are each provided with a bolt receiving aperture 17 adjacent each end thereof and the apertures in one member are axially aligned with those in the other member.

The oven 0 is provided with clinch nuts 18 which when the oven base is supported on members 14 are axially aligned with the apertures 17 in members 15 and a bolt 19 is extended through each aperture 17 and threaded into a corresponding clinch nut 18, there preferably being provided a washer 20 for disposal between the head of each bolt 19 and the adjacent wall of the respective member 15.

It is here to be observed that the several members entering into the crate bottom structure are suitably secured together, preferably by nailing.

In the crating of the ovens, same having their bases seated on members 14 and between members 15 with the clinch nuts 18 axially aligned with the apertures 17, whereupon the bolts 19 are laterally extended through the apertures 17 and into the clinch nuts 18.

The sides of theovens-are then wrapped as usual with is applied to the top of the oven.

Since the side and top of the crate form no part of theipresenttinvention; theyhave-mot been disclosed;

Upon receipt of a shipment. of: crated: ovens, the purchaser may remove-theusualtop andlside crate parts and the bottomwill serveas a pallet'andlmay beretainedt imsecuredt relation: to theoven base until same is imstalled.

Itristtobe: observed, particularly-as shown in Fig. 2, that the lower front panel: P'ofi the oven extends below the baseBithereof. If. such: oven weretobe bolted through the bottom, the installeri on-t tilting'the unit) for removal of the crate-bottomlwouldi experience slipping when the bolts wereremovedl with 'probable damage to the bot-- tompanelt Such. damage will notzoccur when the crate: bottom herein disclosed is employed.

Furthermore, the plywoodslat 16 insures-against dam age ofithe-panel P'byfork; lift'trucks, etc'. during movement of thecrated appliance.

Having set forthmy invention in. accordancewith. a preferred structural embodiment thereof, what I claim' and desire to secure by U.S. Letters Patent is:

1. A crate bottom for'the base ofv a generally rectangular appliance having apair ofcheck nuts in each side thereof and whose axes are horizontally disposed; comprising. a plurality of spaced slat members in parallelism with said appliance. base sides, a plurality of spaced parallel slat members disposed upon said first slat members in right angular relation thereto, a pair. ofahorizontally disposed spaced parallel slat members disposed upon certain of said last plurality of slat. members for vertically supporting said base, and apair of vertically disposed slatmembers having their lower edge portions engaged with the opposite edges of said pair of horizontally disposed slat members, saidrlast. slat members each being provided with a pair of horizontal apertures, and a bolt extendible. through: each aperture and removably engaged with. a respective check nut in said appliance base.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein. said. second plurality of slat members comprises a pair thereofv adjacent the front end ofthe crate bottom between which a lower front panel of said appliance is disposed when theappliancein seeuringposition; and a' plywoodslatdisposed between said last pair of slat members and supported on said first plurality of slat members for protecting said panel against damage by fork lift trucks, etc.

3. A crate bottom for an oven including a rectangular base and a front panel extending below the base and wherein said; base isrprovidedwith a pair of check nuts in each side thereof and whose axes are horizontally disposed; comprising a plurality of spaced slat members iii-parallelism with the sides of said rectangular base; aplurality of spaced-parallel slatzmembers-disposed upon said first slat members in right angular relation thereto, a pair of horizontally disposed.spacecl'parallel slatmembers disposed upon all of saidlast slat members with the exception of one which is disposed at corresponding ends of said first slat members, said last slat members being adapted to support said base, a pair of vertically disposed slatmembers having their lower edge portions engaged withthe outer edges of said pair ofhorizontally disposed slat members, said last slat members each being provided with apair of horizontal apertures for axial register with saidcheck nuts when said base is seatedon said horizontally disposed slat membersfor extension of bolts throughthe aperturesand threaded reception in said check nuts, and a plywood slat supported on said first slats and disposed between said slat member disposed at corresponding 'ends'of said first slat members and anadjacent slat member of said second named slat members above: which said front panel is disposed when the oven is insaid seated position for the protection of said panel against the action of transporting fork lift trucks.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 462,257 Ivers' Nov. 3, 1891: 1,483,648 Whitworth et al. Feb. 12, 1924; 1,505,520 Zabriskie Aug, 19, 1924. 2,665,002 Baumann' et al. Jan. 5, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 616,852 Great Britain I an. 27 1949 

